Some justice delivered but 26/11 conspirators still hiding in Pak: Nikam

Noted lawyer and Rajya Sabha member Ujjwal Nikam has said that while justice has been delivered to some extent to victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, their conspirators are "still hiding in Pakistan".

Talking to PTI Videos on the eve of the 17th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks on Tuesday, Nikam said Pakistan continues to make "pretences", having arrested eight or nine persons, yet the status of their trials remains unknown.

Citing the success of Operation Sindoor, India's military operation after the Pahalgam terror attack, Nikam said persons like Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who masterminded the "entire conspiracy with help from ISI" for the 26/11 attack, must also be brought under the grip of the law.

As many as 166 people lost their lives and more than 300 were injured after 10 terrorists from Pakistan launched simultaneous attacks in several parts of Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

Ten armed militants from the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) entered the city via the sea and carried out a series of coordinated attacks across multiple high-profile locations, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel, CST Railway Station, and Nariman House.

Nikam was the special public prosecutor in the trial of Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist captured during the attack and later sentenced to death.

There is a question in the minds of every Indian about whether the families who lost their loved ones in the 26/11 terrorist attack received full justice? I would say we have provided justice to some extent, with Kasab being sentenced to death through the legal process. But those who conspired in this attack are still hiding in Pakistan, Nikam said.

"Pakistan is still making pretences. They have arrested eight or nine persons, but no one knows about the status of their trials," he added.

Nikam said that after the 26/11 attack, Mumbai's security was tightened, but the recent incident (blast) in Delhi is very concerning.

"This makes me wonder where our education system is taking us. Pakistan wants to create divisions and conflicts within us. Therefore, from the recent Delhi incident, we should understand that the people of this country must kindle one feeling...that we are all Indians," he said.

"We are Indians, regardless of how educated you are or on what basis you judge. The education and atmosphere of this country are such that different castes and religious communities live together. But some forces, including Pakistan, are spoiling that peace. So we must think deeply about this, Nikam said.

A high-intensity blast near the Red Fort in Delhi on November 10 claimed 15 lives and left several others injured.